AAA: SWB rained out
AA: Trenton rained out.
High A: Tampa (63-71) split a DH.
Reg. sched. game: Lost 4-0, getting just 2 hits. SS Diego Castillo’s 3 errors led to 3 unearned runs.
Makeup of 8/27 rainout: Won 5-3. Castillo 2 hits, RBI. 1B Steven Sensley 2 hits, 2 RBI.
Low A: Charleston (69-66) lost 8-5. LF Canaan Smith 2 hits, .306. RF Josh Stowers 2 RBI. C Eduardo Navas 3 hits, 2 RBI. 2 solo HR.
Posted in Mike's Musings, Minor Leagues, Players, Regular Season
From MLB.com
Yankees (Surprise): Daniel Bies, RHP; Glenn Otto, RHP; Donny Sands, C; Josh Stowers, OF; Brandon Wagner, 1B
Acquired from the Mariners in an offshoot of the Sonny Gray trade in January, Stowers has a chance to have four average or better tools, with his arm the lone exception. Otto has had difficulty staying healthy but can reach 97 mph and devastate hitters with his curveball when he’s at 100 percent.
Posted in Mike's Musings, Minor Leagues, Players
Opening Day is one week away.
Nestor Cortes. because of a hamstring strain, is a little behind the other pitchers and as a result, today was only his second start of spring training.
But Nasty Nestor was in midseason form, tossing four scoreless innings with seven strikeouts in what turned out to be a 1-1 tie game with the Cardinals.
The Yanks are 10-15-2 in spring training.
Both teams only got three hits apiece, and the Yankees run was on a HR by Oswaldo Cabrera.
Notes:
Volpe 0 for 4 #1 prospect.
Stanton 1 for 3
Cabrera 1 for 3, the HR
Peraza 0 for 3, #3 prospect. So neither Volpe or Peraza was outdoing the other today in the SS competition battle.
Trevino 1 for 3.
Cortes 4 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 W, 7 K.
Weissert 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K. 1 HBP.
Marinaccio 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 3 K.
Ramirez 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 2 K.
Clarke Schmidt was so-so and the Yanks bats were a bit quiet as the Yanks (10-15-1 in spring training) lost to Washington Wednesday, 5-2.
Notes
Peraza 0 for 4. #3 prospect. .188 in spring training, as for me, Volpe should be starting SS.
Stanton 1 for 3, scored a run.
Cabrera 2 for 3. SB
Elijah Dunham 1 for 1, RBI. #18 prospect.
Rafael Ortega 0 for 2, RBI. .161 in spring training. Does he make team? I’d go with Calhoun.
Willie Calhoun 0 for 1. Not as versatile in OF as Ortega, but .306 this spring training
Estevan Florial 0 for 3, 2 strikeouts. .167 in spring training, and out of options. Could be DFA’d soon.
Schmidt (L) 3 2/3 IP, 3 R, 6 H, 2 W, 1 K.
King 2 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K.
Krook 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 1 K. Has good chance of making team as 2nd lefty in bullpen.
Danish 1 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 0 W, 0 K. Gave up 1 HR. No chance of making team with a 33.23 spring training ERA.
Josh Donaldson homered twice and drove in four runs in the Yanks (10-14-1 in spring training) 6-3 win over Detroit on Tuesday.
Now is the time to start seeing results, with Opening Day 9 days away. You want to hit the ground running.
Luis Severino has not had a good spring before today, even though everyone says he is healthy. The day didn’t start out well, as he gave up a HR to the leadoff hitter and 2 runs in the first inning, but he settled in after that. His performance this spring has been concerning so far.
Torres 1 for 3, RBI.
Donaldson 2 for 3, 2 HR 4 RBI
Volpe 1 for 2. Double, walk, SB. #1 prospect. I think he should be starting SS.
Kiner-Falefa 1 for 3, was in LF
Alexander Vargas 1 for 1 double
Mickey Gasper 1 for 1
Ortega 1 for 3, SB
Severino 4 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 1 W, 9 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Holmes 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K
Loaisiga (Winner) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K.
Peralta 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K.
Norwood 2 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 2 W, 3 K. 1 WP
Gerrit Cole had one bad inning (he’s had a good spring training) and as a result, the Yanks (9-14-1 in spring training) lost 5-3 to Baltimore on Sunday.
Now is around the time I really pay attention to results. Because now most of the minor leaguers have been sent down and others cut.
I read from Jon Heyman that he thinks the best Yankees infield would be Rizzo at 1B, Volpe at 2B, Peraza at SS and D.J. at 3B. Fine, but what then happens with Donaldson and Gleyber? It’s basically a given right now that IKF will serve as a utility man.
My thoughts. I think Rizzo, Gleyber, Volpe and D.J. would be best. Peraza could still go to the minors until the infield glut is resolved. Maybe there will be a trade soon. But Donaldson is hitting just .179 this spring, and despite manager Aaron Boone’s confidence that Donaldson still has something in the tank, concerns abound after Donaldson’s off year in 2022 and with Donaldson’s age (37). Maybe at the trade deadline Gleyber would be dealt, opening a spot for Volpe or Peraza, whoever doesn’t make the Opening Day cut. But in order to get Peraza and Volpe on the team, someone has to go.
As far as LF is concerned, Hicks will probably be there, but I’d prefer Cabrera. Hicks is hitting .290 this spring but mostly with no one on. When there are RISP, then nothing. Actually, the best hitter among the LF candidates has been Willie Calhoun. (.344). Rafael Ortega can play all OF positions, but after a hot start to spring training, has cooled off. Jasson Dominguez (#2 prospect) isn’t a consideration. He’s only played five games at AA, and that is where he’ll probably start the season. He isn’t far away, though.
So, my choices? Gleyber at 2B, Volpe at SS, Cabrera in LF. Until Bader is over his oblique injury, the OF alignment won’t be what I’d like (who plays CF? Hicks? Judge? Cabrera? Heck, IKF was out there the other day. Ortega?)
Boone says that Volpe is a leadoff or middle of the order hitter. As of now, he is committed to LeMahieu leading off. I beg to differ. I’d have Volpe lead off for a few reasons.1) He’d be helped by Judge behind him. No pitcher wants runners on base with Judge coming up. He wouldn’t want to walk Volpe. Volpe would see better pitches to hit. 2) Volpe would disturb pitchers more than DJ. He is a better SB threat. If the pitcher is concentrating on Volpe, there is less concentration on Judge. 3) Volpe is more likely to get the extra base, like scoring from first on a Judge double, or going first to third on a Judge single, than DJ. I’d have DJ batting fifth.
So my lineup would be:
Volpe SS #1 prospect
Judge RF
Rizzo 1B
Stanton DH
LeMahieu 3B
Torres 2B
Cabrera LF
Bader CF
Trevino C
Today’s highlights:
LeMahieu 2 for 3
Judge 1 for 4, double.
Rizzo 0 for 2, RBI, walk.
Stanton 1 for 3
Donaldson 0 for 3
Cabrera 2 for 3, RBI.
Hicks 1 for 2
Peraza 0 for 3 #3 prospect.
Calhoun 0 for 2
Trey Sweeney 1 for 2 #7 prospect
Cole (L) 5 IP, 4 R, 6 H, 1 W, 7 K. Gave up 1 HR. 1 HBP. All runs in fifth.
Abreu 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Cordero 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K.
Marinaccio 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 W, 3 K.
Ramirez 1 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Because of a hamstring strain, Nestor Cortes is a little behind the other pitchers. He made his first spring training start today and the rust showed as he gave up five runs as the Yanks (9-13-1 in spring training) lost to Toronto 5-2.
I usually don’t pay too much attention to spring training results until the last 10 days or so. That time is coming up.
Today’s highlights:
Volpe 1 for 3, walk, run scored. #1 prospect. As far as I’m concerned, he should be starting SS.
Judge 1 for 4, double.
Stanton 2 for 3, RBI
Donaldson 0 for 3
Willie Calhoun 1 for 3. Doesn’t play all OF positions like Hicks or Ortega, but as far as LF goes, he has hit better this spring than Hicks, Cabrera, Florial or Ortega.
Kiner-Falefa 0 for 1, walk
Cabrera 0 for 2.
Ortega 0 for 3.
Chaparro 0 for 1
Sweeney 0 for 1 #7 prospect
Cortes (L) 3 1/3 IP, 5 R, 3 H, 3 W, 4 K. Gave up 2 HR.
King 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K. 1 HBP
Loaisiga 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Holmes 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Hamilton 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 0 K. 1 HBP
It was not a good outing for Domingo German, who gave up 7 runs on 4 HR and 2 HBP in an outing that lasted less than three innings. The Yanks (9-12-1 in spring training) lost to Detroit, 8-7.
The lineup featured mostly prospects and minor leaguers. The most notable thing was IKF in CF.
Volpe 0 for 4 #1 prospect.
Benjamin Cowles 1 for 1, 2-run HR.
Peraza 1 for 3, was HBP. #3 prospect
Hicks 2 for 3 with walk but made his third bad fielding play of spring training.
Kiner-Falefa (IKF) 1 for 3
Spencer Jones 2 for 2 #5 prospect
Estevan Florial 2 for 4, 3 RBI
Wilmer Difo 2 for 4, 2-run HR
Mickey Gasper 1 for 1
German (L) 2 2/3 IP, 7 R, 9 H, 0 W, 1 K. Gave up 4 HR. 2 HBP.
Krook 2 1/3 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 2 W, 3 K. Gave up HR
Deivi Garcia 2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 W, 3 K.
Danish 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Clarke Schmidt was perfect in his five innings of work, but the bullpen wasn’t as the Yankees (9-11-1 in spring training) lost to Pittsburgh Thursday night, 9-6.
15 up, 15 down with 7 K’s for Schmidt. Jasson Dominguez continued his hot spring with a double.
LeMahieu 2 for 4
Judge 1 for 4, double, RBI.
Stanton 2 RBI
Dominguez 1 for 1, double. #2 prospect
Donaldson 1 for 3, RBI double.
Peraza 1 for 2, walk. #3 prospect
Schmidt 5 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 7 K. 15 up, 15 down.
Cordero 1 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Peralta 0 IP, 3 R, 3 H, 0 W, 0 K. gave up HR.
Abreu (BS) 1 1/3 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K
Evans (L) 1/3 IP, 4 R, 5 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Norwood 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K.
The Yanks (9-10-1 in spring training) gave up 7 runs before they came to bat, came back to take an 8-7 lead, but then fell to the Phillies 9-8 Wednesday afternoon.
Luis Severino started and had a bad first inning before settling in. He says he feels fine but so far this spring the results aren’t there. It is only spring training but from here on in, you want to see better results so that when the regular season starts, he hits the ground running.
Meanwhile, it was announced that Gerrit Cole—to no surprise—will be the Yanks’ Opening Day starting pitcher.
Jose Trevino is dealing with a strained right wrist but should be ok.
Michael Hermosillo was sent down to minor league camp.
From what I’ve seen, Anthony Volpe should be the Yanks’ starting shortstop. The kid continues to impress.
Highlights:
Volpe 1 for 2, RBI, 2 walks, SB.
Judge 1 for 2, walk and double.
Cabrera 1 for 2, RBI double.
Rafael Ortega 0 for 3, 2 strikeouts, misplayed a ball in CF.
IKF 0 for 3, 2 strikeouts.
Hicks 0 for 2, walk, 2 strikeouts
Florial 0 for 2
Mickey Gasper 2 for 2, RBI
Severino 2 1/3 IP, 4 R, 2 H, 3 W, 4 K. 1 balk
C. Gomez 1/3 IP, 3 R, 2 H, 3 W, 1 K. 1 WP
Cowart 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Marinaccio 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K. 1 HBP
Nick Ramirez 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Luis Santos 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 W, 1 K.
Jack Neely (L) 1 1/3 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 1 W, 1 K. gave up 1 HR.
Posted in Players, Spring Training
Tagged Cabrera, Cole, Cowart, Florial, Gasper, Gomez, Hermosillo, Hicks, Judge, Kiner-Falefa, Marinaccio, Neely, Ortega, Ramirez, Santos, Severino, Trevino, Volpe
The Yankees (9-9-1 in spring training) hit 5 HR, 3 in the first inning, in beating Toronto 10-3 Tuesday night.
Andres Chaparro is having a heck of a spring, and it makes me wonder. I’m not too sure about his defense at 3B, but could he be putting himself in the mix to be the 3B in 2024? Josh Donaldson is 37 and I don’t see the Yanks picking up his option for 2024. Of course the Yanks could go with LeMahieu or Cabrera at 3B in 2024, but what if they want them both in a super-utility role? What if they don’t want to move Torres or Volpe to 3B? In any case, Chaparro is making the Yanks take notice.
D.J. LeMahieu, Donaldson and Estevan Florial all homered in the first inning, and Oswald Peraza added one later on.
LeMahieu 2 for 4, solo HR leading off bottom of first.
Chaparro 3-run HR.
Donaldson 3-run HR.
Peraza solo HR.
Florial 2-run HR.
Cole (Winner) 4 2/3 IP, 3 R, 6 H, 0 W, 6 K. Gave up 1 HR.
King 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Peralta 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K.
Hamilton 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K.
Danish 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K
In order to get more versatility out of their players (and be better prepared for injuries) the Yanks will try out IKF in CF in an upcoming spring training game. IKF already is a C (bet you didn’t know that), SS, 3B, 2B … so ….
Joe Pepitone was the first player to bring a hair dryer into the Yankees clubhouse. It’s kind of appropriate Pepi was known for his hairdo (and toupees) since he was born October 9, 1940, the same day another person known for his hairstyle, former Beatle John Lennon, was born.
Pepitone died today at the age of 82. He played for the Yankees (1962-1969), Astros (1970), Cubs (1970-1973) and Braves (1973). He was a 3x All-Star and 3x Gold Glove winner who was there at the end of the Yankees dynasty of 1921-1964 and at the beginning of the dark ages of the mid to late 1960s.
Pepitone was a backup in 1962, earning a WS championship ring but not getting into that WS. In one game that season, he hit two homers in the same inning. He then took over the 1B position in 1963 after the Yankees traded Moose Skowron to the Dodgers. Pepi was the regular 1B on the Yankees’ AL pennant winners of 1963 and 1964. He was an All-Star 1963-1965. He finished 17th in MVP voting in 1963 and 27th in 1966.
In 1963, his first full season in the bigs, he hit .271-27-89, OPS+ 109 to help the Yanks win the pennant. The Yanks this year won the pennant despite Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris both missing considerable time. But Pepi made a costly error that cost the Yanks in the fourth and final game of that 1963 WS. Pepitone hit .251-28-100 in 1964 as the Yanks won another pennant. In the two WS Pepitone played in, in 11 games, he hit .154 with 1 HR and 5 RBI. He hit a grand slam in Game 6 of the 1964 World Series.
The Yanks collapsed in 1965. They finished last in 1966 despite Pepitone’s 31 HR. In 1967, Pepitone moved to CF for two years in order for Mickey Mantle to move to 1B because of his bad knees. Pepitone returned to 1B in 1969. He won Gold Gloves at 1B in 1965, 1966 and 1969.
A .258 career hitter, the flamboyant and controversial Pepitone hit 219 HR in his career. His 162-game average was .258-25-84. OPS+ 105. Good, but his was a career where you wondered what more he could have done if he put more of his heart into it. Even Pepitone’s autobiography was “Joe, you could have made us proud.” It seems like he wasted a lot of his talent with a lackadaisical attitude.
Pepitone had his run-ins away from the field. As a teenager growing up in Brooklyn, he was shot in the stomach by a classmate at the age of 17 and in the same week his father died of a stroke at the age of 39. Some characters he ran around with were shady and got Joe into trouble in the mid 1980s. He had run-ins with the law and spent some time in jail.
After his MLB days ended, he went to Japan in 1973, but only played in 14 games there, hitting .163 with 1 HR and 2 RBI. He skipped games due to claimed injuries but was seen out in Japanese discos. The Japanese, not impressed, put his name into their vernacular, meaning “goof off”. As I mentioned, Pepitone had a problem with how much he devoted himself to his job.
Sometimes, he’d show up so late at Yankee Stadium for the game that manager Ralph Houk had to call the NYPD to put out a APB on Joe’s whereabouts. Fed up with Pepi, the Yanks traded him after the 1969 season, even though he had led the Yanks with 27 HR in 1969. By that time, fans were booing Pepi and getting a bit fed up with him.
Less partying would have done Joe good. He even once posed nude for a magazine.
He was a decent player who could have been even better. One thing is for sure. He was quite a character.
The Sommer Frieze 
